49. Medically Necessary Suicide? Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) with Darshan Maharaja

Canada is front and center of the growing controversy around its expansion of the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) policy as heated debates on the euthanization of children, trans identifying people and the mentally ill have swept its legislative bodies. I am joined by writer and host of the podcast Our Canadian Journey Darshan Maharaja, who is sounding the alarm on the increasingly contentious nature of Canada’s MAiD program. 

In this episode, we discuss Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) policy expansion efforts and how they impact those seeking state-sanctioned suicide in Canada. Darshan explains how expansion of this program is creating controversy in the otherwise supported position that terminally ill patients suffering from excessive pain deserve dignity in death. Mr. Maharaja is seeking to call attention to the harm that expansion of this policy is creating for all Canadians from mothers, to disaffected youth, and even infants. As of the enactment of this law in 2016, the rate of those seeking assistance in death has skyrocketed from 1,000 patients to 10,000 annually. This astonishing increase brings up the utility of medical assistance in dying, government responses to such policies, and the larger societal harms associated with it. 

Growing up in India, Darshan witnessed the transitioning of that country’s economy from an avowedly socialist one, with the government owning outright certain sectors of the economy and excessively regulating what private enterprise existed, to a significantly much freer market economy. This experience has given Darshan some unusual insights into the role of the government in an economy, as also the consequences of government policy on the populace. On the political front, Darshan saw the evolution of Indian politics from the overwhelming dominance of one party to a splintering among many regional and ideological parties. The authoritarianism of the earlier decades was replaced by deal-making and compromises. This transition has had a profound impact on the exercise of political power. Darshan is of the opinion that his experiences on these two fronts are very relevant to the Canadian landscape of the 21st century. After becoming a Chartered Accountant, Darshan worked in India, Africa and the Middle East, with some exposure to Central Asia as well, before moving to Canada. The years of living in many different societies and cultures were of invaluable educational value that helped Darshan understand the nuances of integration as well as the points of divergence between diverse cultures. These two aspects are of immediate – and increasingly urgent – importance in today’s Canada. Darshan is not a member of any political party or any other social or ideological organization. You can follow Darshan Maharaja’s work on twitter @TheophanesRex, on his website, http://darshanmaharaja.ca or follow his podcast, “Our Canadian Journey,” here. 

In this episode, I mentioned a previously aired episode with Robin Atkins: 27. Robin Atkins, LMHC: Two Therapists Debate Abortion.

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